Engaging Pre-Service Teachers’ Flawed Solution Strategies in Number Context to Develop Structure Sense

Abstract

This paper examines the solution strategies used by pre-service teachers1 when asked to solve a number problem as a means to engage them with the notion of structure sense. I report on how pre-service teachers’ flawed solution strategies provided opportunities for critical inquiry into the structure of the number context and engagement with the process of validating their solution strategies. I will show how the process of validating moves the pre-service teachers through higher levels of generalisation. In this paper I argue that the notion of developing structure sense within number contexts provides primary school preservice teachers with a rich context in which to engage with structure sense and generalisation as interrelated mathematical processes